PMBus compliant synchronous buck controller offers real-time adaptive loop compensation and power saving modes
Using Powervation’s core hardware and firmware technologies, the PV3101 uses a proprietary DSP/RISC dual-core architecture with a precision data acquisition engine running advanced control and power management algorithms in firmware.
The Auto-Control adaptive loop compensation algorithm provides the industry’s first and only real-time autonomous compensation solution, and is able to modulate the converter’s bandwidth on a cycle-by-cycle basis to optimize the trade-off between dynamic performance and system stability. PV3101 uses full differential voltage, current, and temperature measurements and an 11 bit ADC to provide precision measurement (e.g., ±3% IOUT accuracy over temperature), tight control (e.g., ±0.5% VOUT over line, load, and temperature), and accurate real-time reporting of telemetry information for key power supply parameters.
In order to reduce power losses during light-load operation and idle conditions, Powervation has improved upon its Green Modes technology for this generation of digital DC/DC controller by adding additional modes of operation focused on increasing light-load efficiency. The PV3101 supports a diode emulation mode that triggers once the converter enters DCM operation, thus preventing the low-side FET from sinking current when the inductor current ramps down to zero. To further improve light-load efficiency, PV3101 employs a pulse skipping mode that reduces high-side FET switching losses by eliminating unneeded switching cycles, while still maintaining tight output regulation. And, like Powervation’s PV3012 dual-phase controller, PV3101 offers idle, standby, and power down modes to reduce chip power consumption when the power converter is idle.
The PV3101 can be interconnected with other Powervation controllers via its DSS current share bus for use in multi-phase designs. And with the PowerSMART GUI-based design tool, users are able to easily configure and adjust more than 60 power supply parameters without making modification in hardware.
The PV3101 is designed to function with all leading driver and FET solutions to allow the designer maximum flexibility, powering ASICs, FPGAs, processors, and general POLs for networking, communications, server, storage, and advanced power module applications.
Availability and Pricing
RoHS compliant, the PV3101 is sampling now in 32-lead QFN packaging. Pricing starts at $2.90 each in quantities of 1000 pieces. The PowerSMAR design tool is offered at no charge, and is available for download from the Powervation website.
Visit Powervation at www.powervation.com